At the end of the Regular Meeting of Council for October 6th, Kitimat City Councillors reported on their trip to the Union of BC Municipalities in September.

Councillor Edwin Empinado said they took the issues in Kitimat to the Premier and the Ministers. He expressed the court decision about the Chilcotin Land Agreement was the turning point on how local governments should be consulting with their First Nations Brothers.

Councillor Rob Goffinet expressed chief in his interests was health. “We raised the issues of the Kitimat Air Shed Study with the Minister of Environment. We acknowledged the appeal to the RTA Sulfur Dioxide Permitting that has been postponed, I hear, to the last day of November and December, and we also met with Northern Health and met over issues of protecting the health services in Kitimat in what we hope will be a period of huge industrial growth,” said Goffinet.

Councillor Mary Murphy complimented Councillor Phil Germuth for presenting a huge package of information to the Premier, Christy Clark. She also stated Council addressed work force readiness projects and much more, and they did not have enough time to deliver the information while they were down there.

“Lots of people think we are on a holiday. Let me tell you, it’s not a holiday. It’s hair straight back, the whole time you are there,” said Murphy.

Germuth stated it was worthwhile to meet with all the proponents, ministers and Mayor’s and Council from around British Columbia.

Where was the mayor?

Comment by Forest Fan on 4th November 2014Once again, our Mayor has not attended this most important conference. I know that this was the case also in 2012 and 2013, perhaps the previous few years as well. It is part of the Mayor's job to represent Kitimat and bring Kitimat's issues to the provincial government at the UBCM. If the mayor is not able to travel to important events such as this, she is not up to the job and should not have run again. Thank you to the council members who took the time, despite their busy schedules, to attend the UBCM and represent Kitimat at this key gathering.